What does "receive" mean?

1. (to suffer an injury) to experience or get a physical injury. 2. (to welcome guests) to officially welcome or meet guests. 3. (to pick up a signal) to pick up radio, television, or phone signals. 4. (to return a ball) to be the player who hits the ball back after a serve. 5. (to take stolen goods) to take or buy items that you know were stolen.

receive

US //ɹəˈsiv// UK //ɹɪsˈiːv// re·ceive

1 to suffer an injury (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

to experience or get a physical injury.

to incur or sustain physical damage or an injury.

Example

The player received a serious head injury during the final minutes of the game.

Example

The victim received multiple lacerations during the struggle, though medical examiners confirmed that none of the wounds were life-threatening.
2 to welcome guests (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

to officially welcome or meet guests.

to act as a host for guests or to formally admit someone into one's presence.

Example

The ambassador will receive the visitors in the main hall at noon.

Example

The royal family traditionally receives foreign dignitaries in the state drawing room before the commencement of the official banquet.
- exclude
- reject

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3 to pick up a signal (v.)
B1 Intermediate Science

to pick up radio, television, or phone signals.

to detect or pick up electromagnetic signals from a transmitter.

Example

We couldn't receive a clear radio signal because of the high mountains.

Example

The satellite was designed to receive low-frequency transmissions that are often blocked by the Earth's upper atmosphere.
- detect
- pick up
- transmit
- broadcast
4 to return a ball (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

to be the player who hits the ball back after a serve.

to be in the designated position to take possession of or return a ball served by an opponent.

Example

She is much better at serving the ball than she is at receiving it.

Example

The champion struggled to receive the challenger's powerful left-handed serves throughout the first set of the match.
- return
- serve
5 to take stolen goods (v.)
C1 Advanced Technical Law

to take or buy items that you know were stolen.

to take possession of goods with the knowledge that they have been stolen.

Example

He was arrested for receiving stolen jewellery from the robbery.

Example

The defendant was charged with receiving stolen property after police discovered the missing electronics in his warehouse during a search of his warehouse.
- accept

Origin

From Middle English receyven, from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere (“take back, accept, etc.”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to take”); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Displaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (e.g. afon, anfon, afangen, underfangen, etc. "to receive" from Old English -fōn), native Middle English thiggen (“to receive”) (from Old English þiċġan), and non-native Middle English aquilen, enquilen (“to receive”) (from Old French aquillir, encueillir).